We have a carefully selected range of single Christmas cards at the counter of the shop. Each card has been thoughtfully selected and placed to get a laugh and grab attention in pursuit of impulse purchase.
This is in addition to our larger single and boxed Christmas card range in two locations in the shop.
The dog and cat cards at the front are there to grab attention. In fact, each row of two cards has been very carefully selected to appeal to the customers we most often see at the counter of this specific business.
We have to obsess about moves like this, to make the most of the bonus Christmas traffic.
At the counter we also have boxed cards, money wallets, gift tags, wrapping paper and tape – all a last minute shopper could need.
We have sold more than $4,000 worth of socks in the last month. On top of the revenue from sales, the socks have been a terrific net new traffic driver for the business. Several times I have seen people bring their friends in to show them the socks for a good laugh. Older women particularly like them.
We got into the socks based on observation in retail overseas where we have seen them work with another category of product with which we are having terrific success.
In addition to being a different gift, the socks are a perfect gift to post.
This is another example of a product category through which we can broaden the appeal of the business and play way beyond what people expect from a business selling newspapers and magazines.
It is disappointing seeing Chemist Warehouse promote $20 medical certificates. If they are successful and increase the number issued, the cost of business owners, especially small business owners will be considerable.
I spoke to the pharmacist where I took the photo and they said they take a professional approach. Hmm…
I think it sucks that pharmacists can write absence from work certificates.
All we can do as employers is factor in the cost of sick leave when we budget for the labour costs for our business.
I got a call yesterday morning at 10:05am asking if we had the 2017 Leunig calendar and how many copies we had. By 10:30 the caller had come in and purchased all five remaining copies.
There was a discussion at the counter as they wanted a discount for purchasing all five. Given the slim margin on the product and nature of supply I resisted. We had a chat about the margin on the calendars.
The experience was a reminder of old school newsagency business in that the customer figured they could only get the calendar from a newsagency and that we were protected. It was an opportunity to set the record straight. Try as I did, I could not make the Leunig calendar purchase more valuable though.
Here is how we have had one of the stands at the front of the store set for the last eight trading days before Christmas. We wanted to ensure shoppers understood the variety of charities we are supporting.
While not for everyone, my experience is boxed cards sell well when stacked flat like this.
For the next seven days, the only work in the newsagency that matters is what is done on the shop floor. Empty the back room of anyone who is usually there. Get them on the shop floor, selling.
Star Wars is the biggest licence this year. In the newsagency magazine department, the latest issue of Empire magazine is perfect for promoting along with Christmas gifts as well as at the counter. This issue should appeal to those purchasing gifts for Star Wars fans.
Tracking unit sales is vital in comparing year on year performance in product categories where price fluctuate. In a retail newsagency business, for accurate year on year performance comparison, unit sales tracking is vital in newspapers, magazines and cards. Your newsagency software should be tracking unit sales for you.
It seems each time US President-elect Donald Trump criticises a newspaper of magazine title, engagement with the title, including subscriptions, increases – as they discovered at Vanity Fair this week. They had their highest number of new subscriptions in a day as a result. Is this a business model for publishers? … criticise the thin-skinned Trump and wait for him to attack you and thereby invite support for you.
This post own Facebook pitches four different music magazines by highlighting the gift of free music with each of the four magazines.
This type of approach is better in my view than promoting the full cover of a magazine. It is the type of marketing other magazine retailers in Australia will not do. Plus, it is free, easy to do and enjoyable.
We have been thoughtful in placement of the Pacific Magazines impulse purchase unit, placing it on the way to the counter. It is working a treat with magazines being added to the basket on the way to the sales counter. This stand and tactical placement like this has been key to this business trading ahead of the trend on magazine sales with no year on year decline this quarter.
The manager of one of my stores decided this Christmas they would feature snow globes. The range is beautiful. It lends itself to pitching on social media, to show the business as being different to what people may expect. It is a thrill to see shoppers stop and smile at the beautiful range.
This globe is especially popular as it swirls the ‘snow’ around in an eye catching way. A short video like this works a treat on social media. I shot it using my iPhone and had it loaded in seconds. It is the type of video people like to see on social media.
The current issue of Australian healthy Food with the free Gingerbread folk to eat is a magazine to pitch at the counter as an impulse purchase. It is unique and will draw attention to a title shoppers may otherwise miss. We are using it to promote on social media too as the free gift is different enough from the usual.
Christmas counter card sales in this newsagency are up 34% year on year. They have accounted for 27.16% of all card sales in the last 14 days. Besides a good range at the entrance to the store, it is signs like this used in the business that encourage purchase. The message is a reminder about the low cost to send someone a message this Christmas.
To provide context as to the scope of the growth, this is a business doing $1,200 a day in cards alone over the 14 day analysis period.
We are seeing this more and more, the Domain brand given front page treatment, covering the news in The Age. It plays into speculation about the future of the newspaper.
We have supported the Pacific Magazines $65,000 promotion throughout the business – at the counter and in the magazine department with participating titles. While cutting through during Christmas is challenging because of the visual noise this season, we have tried to keep space around the signs less noisy – so the promotion is noticed.
Myer in Melbourne is pitching Nutella at the counter in their bedroom furnishings department. If ever there was a time for retailers to be bold in counter impulse item selections then this is it. Here is Myer pitching something sold on a different floor in their sprawling store. Never promote at the counter what people expect.
Myer is pitching wrapping paper near bed sheets – both the same brand. Seeing this reminded me wrapping paper works a treat when pitched in at least two locations away from the card / wrap department. This catches treasure hunt shoppers.
In the US, Black Friday, always the Friday after Thanksgiving, is huge for retailers. It goes from the Friday through the weekend. Then there is Cyber Monday, the Monday right after.
The US Black Friday ‘season’ is now entrenched in the UK. But it is yet to gain traction here. We do have an online sale but it’s not big.
I am interested in Black Friday as it is massive in the UK, a place to where the season migrated.
The idea of boosting seasonal sales ahead of when you might traditionally discount for a season is interesting. It is something we have tried a couple of times this year, discounting for one day only quite early in the season. The goal was to gain a buzz, and it did. This worked for a specific location where more than a third of shoppers are not regular, not local. I think that is the key.
Retail today demands thinks be changed up. This is why I think it is important we talk about a different approach to when we use a discount as a promotional mechanism.
We did a one-day Christmas sale early this month. It was a terrific boost. It was not a Black Friday event and I am not proposing this here.
In the UK ten days ago I was surprised at the extent of Black Friday. Here is a gallery of window signs, demonstrating the extent of retailer engagement in the season. I took all these photos in a short period the Saturday and Sunday following Black Friday.
All you notice on the front page of this issue of the Herald Sun is an ad for a university. This shows how ad revenue is more important than editorial, even more important than an AFL story in Melbourne.
newsXpress has gently launched #NOTANEWSAGENT, the next step in building focus for the newsXpress as distinct from the newsagency channel.
A brand is only seen as a brand if you promoting it as such. Promotion starts with explaining what the brand stands for. That is what the first communication piece, an in-house produced video, is all about. Here is the video launched yesterday:
Branding away from the term newsagent or newsagency is important for several reasons:
Major brands no longer lend against the value of a newsagency business.
Major landlords no longer permit newsagency businesses, instead preferring branded more current businesses.
The ATO benchmark for a retail newsagency business is out of date and not relevant to a transforming business.
Some suppliers will not supply newsagency businesses.
Some traditional newsagency suppliers no longer recognise the newsagency channel as a distinct channel.
The #NOTANEWSAGENT move is not intended to disrespect newsagents or newsagency suppliers. Rather, in addition to serving the needs of newsXpress members, it seeks to open consideration by others as to the role of the old-school shingle. It is part of a considered and researched strategic plan.
Magazines, stationery, newspapers and other core categories remain important. However, new traffic is coming from other categories and that is vital to the health of the business in the future.
The recent newsXpress branded Tv commercial delivered excellent new traffic to newsXpress businesses. They sought out that brand and not the generic shingle. This is important in a competitive retail environment.
We see change all around us in our ‘newsagency’ businesses. While we can react to change, we are better off leaning in, better off chasing change, so we are ahead of the curve.
There is no end-game here. Change is the new normal in retail, in newsagency retail especially.
There will be some who criticise the #NOTANEWSAGENT positioning. They are entitled to their view. I am reminded of those who criticise me in 2010 for my prediction then of where magazine and newspaper sales would be today. Unfortunately, I was right. Those who acted in 2010 are better off today than those who did not.
Regardless of what the channel is (or channels are) called, I hope for a strong future for all businesses that identify themselves as newsagencies today. The strength of the future depends on your commitment to change today.
My personal hope is that #NOTANEWSAGENT gets newsagents thinking about the positioning of their businesses in the context of print media disruption, retail disruption and changes in economic conditions. Thinking alone is a start.
We have a carefully selected range of single Christmas cards at the counter of the shop. Each card has been thoughtfully selected and placed to get a laugh and grab attention in pursuit of impulse purchase.
